Lost custy

[Aqua-pure Portadown]

Text my custys weds night and got a text back from one saying she had got them cleaned and would not need my services any more:-( .

I asked politely why she had got another cleaner and her reply was "I can get the inside and out done for £15)

I charged £10 for outside ,so I said ok if he disappears give me a call!

Surely this guy has to be doing the barney ruble ?!?

 

[boarcity]

dont go back to her , block her number too

 

[TolishAPurd]

This is the unfortunate thing about this job, many people just want the cheapest price, and very often loyalty is out the window for the sake of a couple of quid. The only thing we can do is play our own part by not playing into the hands of cheap customers by undercutting.

 

[koopmaster]

I had a similar situation this week. She was a £7 monthly clean and asked for a quartaly clean.. I said sorry, the latest I clean in bi monthly. She texed back saying sorry I will find a new window cleaner.

Personally I won't clean a house for £28 a year. Not worth it. She will be replaced by next week.

 

[TolishAPurd]

I've had that happen to me, but I just put the price up on her. I think it went from £21 to £25 just for the 2 monthly. But for a quarterly I would charge close to double as if it was a first clean.

 

[Aqua-pure Portadown]

This is the unfortunate thing about this job, many people just want the cheapest price, and very often loyalty is out the window for the sake of a couple of quid. The only thing we can do is play our own part by not playing into the hands of cheap customers by undercutting.

I have only been full time for just over a year ,but the first rule I made was to work out my own price and stick to it , I have people saying all the time "I can get a guy to clean them for xyz" my reply is no probs go ahead ,but give me a call when he disappears !

On another occasion I was doing a house and asked the custy if he got his pvc cleaned and if he didn't mind how much , A guy charged him £50 and it took him a day and a half :-( like wtf ????

I would have quoted £110 and done it in 3 hrs , hard to beat the benefit guys !!!!

 

[TolishAPurd]

I have only been full time for just over a year ,but the first rule I made was to work out my own price and stick to it , I have people saying all the time "I can get a guy to clean them for xyz" my reply is no probs go ahead ,but give me a call when he disappears !
On another occasion I was doing a house and asked the custy if he got his pvc cleaned and if he didn't mind how much , A guy charged him £50 and it took him a day and a half :-( like wtf ????

I would have quoted £110 and done it in 3 hrs /emoticons/smile.png , hard to beat the benefit guys !!!!

Its not just the benefitters underquoting. I went and quoted a house at £55 for a 3 monthly. Loads of glass, about 5 skylights etc. He told me he had 2 quotes around the £30 mark and one of the companies was VAT registered!?!?!?!? I had only just come from cleaning a house about half the size for £30, so I appologised for wasting his time and left. I could have knocked a fiver off the price, but £30 was just impossible. I recommended he snap the guys arm off.

 

[Aqua-pure Portadown]

Its not just the benefitters underquoting. I went and quoted a house at £55 for a 3 monthly. Loads of glass, about 5 skylights etc. He told me he had 2 quotes around the £30 mark and one of the companies was VAT registered!?!?!?!? I had only just come from cleaning a house about half the size for £30, so I appologised for wasting his time and left. I could have knocked a fiver off the price, but £30 was just impossible. I recommended he snap the guys arm off.

If you had of done it for £30 you would of hated going to it every quarter and you heart would not of been in it !

Better to leave it alone , I do believe these guys charging stupidly will not be a round for long

 

[Andy cherry]

i think you guys may be missing something here.....I understand that a lot of those signing on have been chased off the dole into self employment and zero hours contracts to keep the unemployment stats down,i know my brother in law for one ,does 24 hrs at a minimum wage and is then able to top up with tax credits....another windy I have met recently does the same self employed minimum hours all to get him off dole and claiming top ups and I quote,'it does not really matter how much I charge as long as it amounts to better than dole I can keep housing benefit etc and add tax credits.......got me thinking what the fu6k am I doing

 

[Aqua-pure Portadown]

i think you guys may be missing something here.....I understand that a lot of those signing on have been chased off the dole into self employment and zero hours contracts to keep the unemployment stats down,i know my brother in law for one ,does 24 hrs at a minimum wage and is then able to top up with tax credits....another windy I have met recently does the same self employed minimum hours all to get him off dole and claiming top ups and I quote,'it does not really matter how much I charge as long as it amounts to better than dole I can keep housing benefit etc and add tax credits.......got me thinking what the fu6k am I doing

Andy tbh I don't miss the point .

I started with no custys and very little in the way of money each week but haven't claimed any benifits, housing or otherwise ,

Surely if everyone charged the going rate they would not need to continue to claim ?

Maybe I am don't understand as I have never been in the system and worked for a company for 26 years before packing it in and starting on my own !

 

[Smurf]

There are many reasons why a cutomer might dump a window cleaner and it's not just on price either as most tell porkies just to get rid. Just move on as you already know this is a very fluid game we are in.

 

[Tuffers]

You can usually tell who are going to be the messers. Some of them, you have to tread lightly with until you get them onside so to speak.

 

[Duncs]

as soon as windies under cut to get graft no gd , had it here two guys started up, got loads of graft .They was undercutting everybody some jobs by half.

the crack was they could hardly live on what they was making,silly arses. Where are they now both finished

 

[Duncs]

You can usually tell who are going to be the messers. Some of them, you have to tread lightly with until you get them onside so to speak.

had this blind woman done her windows seven years we went yesterday .told my mate no thanks dont need you any more , as simple as that mind.ok it was **** graft but becourse of her problems kept going plus her tea and gingerbread was to die for.

anyway coo coo that was that ,further up the street was a new window cleaner , with his shiny new ladders

****

 

[boarcity]

watch out if you start losing jobs for no apparent reason for the cancelling ,

a newbie could be observing you at work and later canvassing these same houses,offering a cut price deal. if one takes him on ,he will be encouraged to repeat the offending

 

[Smurf]

You develop a good sense of ppl what some call a gut feeling if they are going to remain loyal customers or just messers.

Don't take it personal as there are plenty of messers out there for sure that no one wants to take on./emoticons/wink.png

There are also plenty out there that undersell their services but they don't last very long.

 

[Duncs]

have noticed the last couple of months there is few new cleaners sniffing about

your thoughts

cleaner came up to me the day admiring my van all sighned up, me and my partner in crime looking very smart in our new uniforms. Well he was all interested in my system asking loads of questions, well my gut feeling is to tell him to xx off. Then he said got couple of houses if you would be interested no gd for him really high. how many times have we herd that

Any way passed him my card , and he took off

Well would you believe it got call today to price the job, its only big posh joint right in town centre

only problem is this guys pricing is low low and i,m a greedy git whats my chances

 

[Smurf]

I always take time to have a chat with fellow window cleaners but don't believe a word they say as most will tell porkies too /emoticons/biggrin.png

I often refer jobs on that i can't be arsed to do myself so go in high duncs as you have nothing to loose

 

[Duncs]

will do see what the crack is